Sacred Paws at Rough Trade East

Not many acts can be seen performing in record stores anymore. The rise of the internet has made it easier for up-and-coming artists to post their music online and wait for fans to find them. Which is why, when Sacred Paws performed at Rough Trade East in London’s ultra cool Brick Lane, it was as much a show as it was a sobering reminder of the highs and lows of being a new band trying to make it.

The female duo, made up of Rachel Aggs (guitar, vocals) and Eilidh Rodgers (drums, vocals), performed to a modest-sized audience at the back of the famous record store. They treated fans to tracks from their 2015 EP Six Songs and new material taken from their debut album Strike a Match, released last month.

While the pair performed the toe-tapping San Diego, an ode to Aggs’s grandmother, and the jaunty Try Again, it was clear they have a high level of chemistry on stage; though, it seemed the initial adrenaline soon wore off as, by the fifth song of the show, the magic between the two musicians began to sadly dissipate.

The euphoric nature of Wet Graffiti was unfortunately lost, with the duo appearing disjointed and not knowing where to look. It was probably a case of nerves getting the better of them; as Aggs admitted to the audience, they had never performed in a venue like Rough Trade East, and then she later revealed that she didn’t know why everything felt so awkward.

That said, Sacred Paws shrugged off any last nerves they had when they closed the show with the ebullient Strike a Match. With the crowd singing and dancing along, the duo looked more relaxed and in control once again.

With a bit more fine-tuning required on the performance side of things, there is no reason why Sacred Paws’ brand of feel-good and finely calibrated indie-rock shouldn’t make an appearance at summer festivals across the country this year.

Yusuf Tamanna
Photos: Paul Hudson

For further information about Sacred Paws and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Everyday here: